Pedro was twenty when he came from the South
Juanita was just seventeen
They both come looking for work in the North
Chasing that golden dream
Well, they met in
Mexicali
in the back of a truck
Waiting to cross the line
Both feeling scared and already missing
The families they were leaving behind

Chorus:
But, hey, when that brand new life calls you
You know you pack your bags and you run
And, hey, don’t that new life sparkle just like a diamond
Beneath the
California
sun
Beneath the
California
sun

They walked through the desert for three days and nights
‘Til they hitched a ride to
L.A.
Juanita had an uncle in
Huntington Park
And Pedro had friends near
San Jose
He found work in the fields picking fruit from the trees
And he wrote to Juanita each week
At the end of a year he bought a car and a ring
And he asked her while on bended knee

Chorus

Well it’s been seven years since they tied the knot
The ties that bind still hold strong
They live in a trailer on the outskirts of town
With their third baby due before long
And sometimes in the stillness they make love at dawn
They talk about all they’ve been through
And if you were to ask if they’d do it all again
Their answer would ring sure and true

When I was 17, you set out on your own
Traveling north in search of truth, a bedroll for your home
I wish I'd had your courage, I wish I'd had your faith
And do you ever think of me at the closing of the day?

Postcards and letters couldn't bind me to youBits and pieces of your life came floating through
Hard I've tried to picture you in some faraway place
But the image always fades into shadows on your face

And me I stayed in our hometown, married at 19
Bobby's still a mechanic down at Burke's Gasoline
And I guess we've made a pretty good life, the kids are almost grown
But cold winter days my mind still strays to that summer you left home

Now twenty years have come and gone, my forehead's lined and creased
Last I heard you packed your dreams and then you headed East
Tom Wolfe says you can't go back, not sure I'd want to be that youngI just wonder if you think of me when your day is done

If I could send you a letter, not sure just what I'd say
Maybe that I think of you and the heart you gaveYou came to me so sweet and tender, that's how I'll remember you
I just wonder if you think of me when your day is through...

*Brand New Life Lyrics reworked for Maureen O'Crean's "Chart Your Own Course" CD

When she was a young girl she lived in her dreams
Of what she might do with her life
So many ideas swam 'round in her head
She hardly could sleep at night
She might be a dancer or a singer of songs
and maybe somebody's wife
She might be a pilot and soar through the clouds
Or be a doctor and save someone's life

Chorus:
''Cause, hey, when that brand new life calls you
You know you pack your bags and you run
And, hey, don’t that new life sparkle just like a diamond
Beneath that golden
sun
Beneath that golden
sun

Well she grew up strong and she grew up fine
Living her life day by day
And though she still dreamed of things she might do
The time just kept slipping away
''
Til one day it hit her from out of the blue
Like a jolt straight to her heart
That if she really wanted to change her world
It was getting past time to start

Chorus

Well it’s been seven years since she took the risk
To make her dreams come true
She's inventing her life one sweet step at a time
Aiming for a room with a view
And sometimes in the stillness just before dawn
She thinks about all she's been through
And if you were to ask if she’d do it all again
Her answer would ring sure and true

It's Friday morning and the rain comes down
The cat is snoozing in the chair
Think I'll take a little walk outside
Just to get some air
And send these hopes on broken wings
Up into the winter sky
The New Year's coming just around the bend
Anticipation's running high

Chorus:

Seasons some and seasons go
The year winds down, not too much to show
Some dreams delayed but still alive
And life flows onward by and by
Life flows onward by and by

Come Saturday I'll light a match
To old regrets and pain
I'll light a candle in a trembling wind
Of curling ash and flame
And when the smoke has finally cleared
I'll gaze into that winter sky
And make a vow to help our fragile dreams
Seize their chance to fly

Billy's 19 but tells folks he's 22
He came here from Memphis with just his clothes & his shoes
We work together at Caesar's; he parks cars, I serve drinks
Days off he's out at Lake Mead, says the quiet helps him think
With a cold beer at sunset 'neath that endless Western sky
He can picture it so clearly when he closes his eyes
Dreams of dealing blackjack, sees the cards flash and shine
Yeah, he's looking for that good life at the end of the line

Chorus:
And, hey, this is Vegas
You know it glitters and shines
The jewel of the desert
The end of the line

Now Megan she's a dreamer, tries to look for the good
She's determined not to end up like her daddy said she would
Her and Sam left San Diego when the Navy set him free
Gonna buy a little house, maybe start a family
Sam's been working construction for the last year or so
Meg works in a Day Care, she don't know where the money goes
But I see Sam at the tables looking hard for that win
Just something to tide him over 'til he's on his feel again

Chorus

And me I came softly in the middle of the night
'Cause there ain't nothing prettier than that pure desert light
And, yes, I came freely, you know I jumped at the chance
With that same old abandon, like when you'd jump in my pants
Still I thought it'd be different out here on my own
I thought I'd find Mecca for these weary old bones
And if anyone asks you, please tell 'em I'm fine
Just say I made it safely to the end of the line